The Mantle Ranch

Queeda Mantle was born on a March day in 1933. In anticipation of her birth, her parents started by horseback out of the remote Yampa Canyon in Northwest Colorado. They were headed for Vernal, Utah, where the Mantles had friends with whom they could stay until the baby arrived. When they were 10 miles into the trip, Mrs. Mantle realized that her baby was on the way. Having no choice, they stopped at the ranch house of neighbors and the baby soon arrived. After a few days rest, the parents, now with a baby girl, returned to the ranch. Queeda's parents were devoted to education. They built a school house and hired a teacher so that Queeda and her brothers got their first years of school. All of the children continued their education at schools in Colorado and Utah with Queeda graduating from the University of Colorado, Boulder, in 1954.In recent years, Queeda reviewed her mother's extensive notes and photo collection. Using these, she has given the reader a view of life in the Yampa Canyon, a life that was harsh, yet pleasant, isolated, yet with visits from friends and relatives, and educational in the broadest sense. Today the Mantle Ranch is a private inholding inside Dinosaur National Monument.